Green Smoothie Challenge - Storing Greens

I started doing the Green Smoothie Challenge  at the beginning of April and then I got sick and stopped for about a week (I really just didn't want to eat anything) but I am back at it and I am loving how energized I feel. They are tastey and full of delicious goodness. 

The one thing I found was that I wasn't able to go through a bunch of greens fast enough before it started going bad and that washing greens everyday was time consuming and annoying. I found a simple solution to both those problems that I thought I would share with you. 

Take your green (in my case Kale) and break it into small pieces.

 Wash and drain your greens 

 Dry throughly. (It would probably be faster to use a lettuce spinner...which I don't own...the joys of student living. haha a clean kitchen towel did just fine) 

Store greens in a ziplock bag with a paper towel placed inside to capture moister and keep greens fresh longer. Also if you find you have way too many greens you can simply throw the ziplock bag into the freezer. 

Hope this helps! 

For my favourite green smoothie recipe click here. 

Jaclyn 

Shop Till You Drop with LouLou Magazine

Last week I attended one of LOULOU's Shop Till You Drop Events. I had never gone to one before and I wasn't sure what to expect. There was a huge LOULOU closet full of the latest trends and many vendors were offering freebies and discounts. There was tea samples from David's Tea and I got to try a bunch of fun lipstick colours from MAC.  I was super excited to get my makeup done by Boujois. The girls did a wonderful job and I now have a long list of new make up to purchase (which I will hopefully be going to grab from Shoppers this week).

I also got a ton of awesome swag and a ton of gift cards and coupons. I am super excited to try all of the new to me products that were in the bag and cannot wait for my first copy of my LOULOU subscription to make it into my mail box.

I had every intention of taking an outfit photo to share by only ended up taking a photo of my shoes...typical me. haha. I my new shoes! Which I am loving and am so happy I decided to get them. I paired them with a white peplum top and a classic tan trench coat. 

 Did anyone else attend a LOULOU event? 

Jaclyn 

Lately

These past few weeks have been crazy! Tons of school work and saying goodbye to class mates for the summer. Here is what I have been loving lately.

Chocolate covered Strawberries

This list of 50 Things First Year Taught Me (fairly accurate and makes me miss first year)

Some delicious tea from David's Tea

A new pair of kitten heels from Aldo Shoes (they are on sale too). 

Board game nights with friends

What have you been loving lately? 

Jaclyn 

April Showers...

Heart Umbrella. Green Coat. Black Rain Boots. Yellow Coat. Purple Rain Boots. Polka Dot Umbrella.

There have been many April Showers lately hopefully they will bring some May Flowers! 

Stay dry, 

Jaclyn

Veggie and Hummus Pizza

I love making pizza. It is so easy to customize and you can easily add whatever toppings you have on hand. I had never seen pizza with Hummus before until I read it on Just a Taste. I though that this was such a great idea and I make this pizza (or some variation) at least 2x a month. 

Ingredients: 

Pizza Dough (Pre-made or do it yourself) 

Hummus 

1 Red pepper - sliced

1 Red onion - sliced 

1 Zucchini - shredded  

2-3 cups Baby Spinach - blanched and drained

2-3 cups mozzarella 

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 475F. 

2.Roll out pizza crust into desired size 

3. Cut and prepare all veggies. I used a cheese grater to shred my zucchini. Make sure once shredded you squeeze out all of the water so you don't end up with a watery pizza. 

4. Spread an even layer of hummus onto your pizza dough. Follow with shredded zucchini and blanched spinach. Then add onions and red peppers.

5. Top pizza with cheese 

6. Bake pizza for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown

My favourite variation:
- roast your peppers, onions and zucchini first (if you choose this option don't grate your zucchini just cut it into slice) Toss veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper place in oven heated to 450F for on baking sheet for about 10 mins, stir and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Place veggies onto of humus and top with crumbled goats cheese.

What is your favourite pizza?
Jaclyn

Study Snacks

With exams coming up for a lot of people I thought I would post some of my favourite study snacks. I love munching when I study but I try to keep it healthy. My favourite is air popped popcorn which I sometimes mix with m&ms or mini chocolate chips.  I also usually have a huge mug of tea next to me while I study. There is just something so comforting about a warm cup of tea while you memorize about 1000000 terms lol. What are your favourite snacks? 

Good Luck on Exams!
Jaclyn

Tea Time

Owl. Elephant. Tea for one. Noble Tea Pot. 

Third Year Thoughts

Wow. Its hard to believe that third year is coming to an end. I just handed in my final assignment today and I have 2 exams left this week before I am done. Craziness! This year has flown by. I have no idea where the time went and I am not sure if I am ready for it to end. I have enjoyed this year so much. It has been an amazing experience and one I know I will remember for the rest of my life.

I started my business program this year and it was such a change from science. I am loving it but I am also excited to continue with science again next year. This year has been an amazing learning experience. Having time now to breath and reflect on this past year has made me realize just how much I have learned, changed and grown. I feel like my way of thinking has changed and developed. I can now make a decision when a decision needs to be made. I am no longer scared of presentations. I like standing up in front of people and talking. Its fun, different and challenging.

 I loved the fast pace of the program and I loved all the amazing and wonderful people I met. My year would not have been the same without my amazing classmates. We spent many late nights together stressing and laughing. The number of inside jokes we have grew daily and continues to grow. They have become my second family and the class would not have been the same without each and everyone one of them. While it has only been a year I feel like we have grown up together. We have been through a lot. A lot of stress and a lot of wonderful times. It feels like graduation all over again.

This year was tough academically and there were a lot of tears but I am sad to see it come to an end. It is an experience I will never forget and one that I am glad I pushed myself to do it. I am excited for summer and the possibilities that it holds. I can safely say that this year has taught me a lot both inside and outside of the classroom. It I feel has prepared me most for what lies ahead. It was an unforgettable year and I think it rivals first year for best year yet.
Jaclyn